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This Philly teen just scored a $200,000 college scholarship — and he credits the local nonprofit that helped him win it

Tomas Vallejo credits his six years with Inn Dwelling for his full ride to the University of Chicago.

Former Inn Dwelling program director Sister Rosemarie Jefferson (from left), current director Charles Arroyave, and Holy Ghost Preparatory School senior Tomas Vallejo stand for a portrait at the Mother Boniface Spirituality Center in Philadelphia's Holmeburg section on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. Inn Dwelling is a program that provides lower-income students with tutoring and college prep opportunities.
Former Inn Dwelling program director Sister Rosemarie Jefferson (from left), current director Charles Arroyave, and Holy Ghost Preparatory School senior Tomas Vallejo stand for a portrait at the Mother Boniface Spirituality Center in Philadelphia's Holmeburg section on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. Inn Dwelling is a program that provides lower-income students with tutoring and college prep opportunities.Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer

On Dec. 1, Tomas Vallejo let out one of the longest exhales of his life. The stressful decision of making a college choice was done. Best of all, he learned that day, it was to be a debt-free choice, because he’d just been given a full academic scholarship to the University of Chicago, a ride worth about $200,000.

A senior at Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem, Vallejo is as modest as his grades are excellent. He credits his academic prowess to Inn Dwelling of Philadelphia, a nonprofit that supports gifted, low-income students in the region with everything they need to help them succeed: after-school tutoring, test prep and strategies, training in public speaking, Saturday and summer enrichment activities, community service and leadership-development opportunities, plus mentoring and advocacy.

“Being part of Inn Dwelling has been one of the biggest blessings in my life,” said Vallejo. “I felt I had the gift and talent to do well academically, but a program like Inn Dwelling gave me the tools to go further and expand my potential.”

The original mission of the organization, founded in 1981, was to help people in need to secure housing. It expanded its focus in 1997, creating the Comprehensive Youth Initiative to provide social services to students ages 11 to 18. By 2015, Inn Dwelling had pivoted solely to educational support through its after-school programs.

Throughout the years, one of the program’s driving forces has been Sister Rosemarie Jefferson, MSBT, Inn Dwelling’s former program director who remains very much involved in the nonprofit’s mission, serving as the assistant program director.

In 2004, Sister Rosemarie visited various colleges to learn what it would take for Inn Dwelling’s students to be accepted at the schools. High ACT or SAT scores, admissions counselors told her, and a high GPA.

So the goal of Inn Dwelling, said Sister Rosemarie, became “to get youngsters into select area high schools that offer a wide range of advanced-placement courses.”

To help prepare them for high school placement tests, Inn Dwelling offers English and math programs to students in sixth through eighth grade as well as a comprehensive after-school program to older students. “If they score high, they could get help with their tuition.”

Inn Dwelling’s high school students attend after-school sessions twice a week (if their GPA falls below a B average, weekly attendance is increased to three times).

Currently, 55 students from area high schools are involved with Inn Dwelling; each receives $3,000 per year to help with tuition (if they attend private school). Holy Ghost Prep president Greg Geruson, whose school has 10 students enrolled with Inn Dwelling program, sings the nonprofit’s praises.

“Sister Rosemary has a wonderful program,” Geruson said. “She’s just building on what the elementary schools are doing.”

And she now has an Inn Dwelling graduate heading the organization. New program director Charles Arroyave, 38, began his involvement with the nonprofit while a student at West Catholic High School, which he attended on an academic scholarship.

“That was due to the assistance and mentorship I received at the Inn Dwelling program,” Arroyave said. “Then they helped me get to college.”

He began his college career at La Salle University, but when his mother had a stroke, he transferred to Chestnut Hill College, which was closer to home, so he could more easily attend to his family’s needs. At Chestnut Hill, he earned an undergraduate degree as well as a master’s in educational leadership.

Inn Dwelling, he said, allowed him to reach his potential.

“The support system was great — people believed in me and wouldn’t allow me to give up on myself,” Arroyave said. “They held me accountable and pushed me to be the best student I could possibly be.”

Scholarship winner Vallejo, who lives in Mayfair, joined Inn Dwelling in seventh grade; the next year, he earned a full, four-year scholarship to Holy Ghost Prep.

His family never would have been able to afford the school’s $24,000 annual tuition without the financial assistance, he said. (His parents are from Colombia; he was born in the U.S. and has an older brother who also was involved with Inn Dwelling.)

When students are juniors, Inn Dwelling staff take them on college visits (although the pandemic prevented trips in 2020) and help them explore financial aid for higher education.

Through Sister Rosemarie, Vallejo learned about QuestBridge, a California-based nonprofit that connects exceptional, financially needy, high-achieving youth with leading colleges and opportunities.

Through the organization, he earned his scholarship to the University of Chicago.

“The only reason I found out about QuestBridge was that Sister Rosemarie recommended me,” said Vallejo, who plans to major in political science and hopes to attend law school.

“I feel very happy, especially since all the sacrifices my parents have made that led to this moment,” he said. And without the support of Inn Dwelling, “None of this would have been possible.”